Netflix targets 30% French market in 5 years

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, speaking to French daily newspapers, has said the company is aiming to capture 10 per cent of French subscribing households within two to five years, and one third from five to 10 years from now. The service launches in France on September 15th. This despite, so far, failing to agree a deal with pay-TV or broadband providers.

“Over the first year we always concentrate ourselves on the brand image. Whatever we recruit a lot or a few subscribers, the first objective is to gain a good reputation among consumers. We are careful on the fact they can subscribe easily, that the platforms works correctly and that we deliver attractive contents,” Hastings told Le Figaro.

Netflix will not carry advertising, and besides OTT delivery, the platform is still actively looking to sign partnerships with telcos Orange, Free, Bouygues or SFR, as boxes represent almost all French broadband connections. To reach a maximum of potential consumers, Netflix would need to be integrated to the services offered by French web access suppliers. The financial and technical terms – as Netflix refuses to pay for additional bandwidth – have yet to be agreed upon with any of them.